Sons of the Bat
by Gotham's Siren
Summary: A letter arrives that changes Bruce's life in a way he never would have suspected. How will he raise his sons without the Justice League finding out about them? And now that he already has two sons, will he adopt Dick?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is AU, with two little OC's. Bruce is about twenty-eight here, and has been Batman for about five years. Hope you like it!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's, who you should be able to spot right away.**_

"Ah Master Bruce, I thought you would have returned by now."

Bruce looked up from the car, raising an eyebrow at his mentor/butler. "I would have been home sooner; I had a run in with Luthor on one of the league missions."

"I expected as much sir." Alfred's hand reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a crisp white envelope. "You have a letter sir, from Miss Hart."

Bruce's brow furrowed. "Sarah?" He stood, taking the letter.

"Indeed sir, I'll put on a lot of tea." Alfred left without another word, giving him his privacy.

He tore it open after making sure that it was indeed Sarah Hart; his eyes scanned the letter, wondering why she would contact him after so long...

_Dear Bruce, ___

_I'm dying.___

_Morbid right? But you know me; I've never been one to beat around the bush. ___

_But anyway, that isn't why I'm writing to you now. I'm writing to tell you that you're a father. I should have told you sooner, I know that now. But, you have to understand that I didn't know what to do. We were both so young, and when you told me about what you planned to do, about your mission…well I'll admit I was skeptical. Gotham is a dangerous city; you know that more than most. I didn't want my child to grow up in a city like that, with all those crazies. So I ran away from Gotham, and from you._

_Our boys need you Bruce, they need someone who will understand and love them, and I know you will. The twin's names are Thomas Anthony and Nathan Robert Wayne. Our firstborn, Thomas was named for your father and Nathan for mine; they just turned four on Halloween. They're both so smart Bruce, and they look so much like you it makes my heart ache. _

_I only have about a month left. The doctors have told me its cancer. The bad kind, although I suppose any cancer is bad cancer._

_If you agree to raise them, which I pray you will since I have no one else, I'm at St. Peter's Hospital in Metropolis._

_I love you Bruce, I always have._

_Goodbye,_

_Sarah Hart_

His mouth dropped in shock. He was a father. He was...a father? He had sons. Not only one, but two; two twin boys.

And Sarah, his first love. They had dated on and off throughout their high school years, and well into college. They had broken up again when he had traveled to Asia, and trained with Ra's al Ghul; he had reconnected with her nearly five years ago, although it hadn't lasted. But at least it would explain the boys….

He couldn't think like that now, he had two rooms to prepare.  
>xXxxXxxXx<p>

"And you be good for your Daddy, okay? He's gonna' take you places and buy you toys..."

"Toys!" An excited scream.

Bruce stood outside the hospital door, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He was going to see Sarah again after five long years apart; and his sons, he was going to see his children for the first time.

"You may as well come in Bruce! I can see you lurking behind that door."

He pushed it open with a somewhat sheepish smile. Two children, _his_ children played on the floor, their raven heads bobbing as they babbled to each other. He looked up, his blue eyes locking with Sarah's green.

"Meet your sons Bruce, already making a mess of themselves." She giggled hoarsely, pointing at the two toddlers who were now busy throwing their toys in the air.

Bruce swallowed nervously, taking a few steps toward them until he was only a foot or so away. One of the boys looked up, his bright green eyes widening. "Daddy." He babbled, patting his twin on the leg until the other boy turned as well. The other blinked, a smile making its way onto his face. "Daddy!" He screamed. He stood up, walking with wobbly steps until he was under the TV. He pointed up at it, "Daddy!"

Bruce looked back at Sarah. "I may have pointed you out a few times when you were on the news." She giggled.

"Hi, I'm Tommy." A small hand pulled at his shirt, making him turn. The small boy blushed, his feet shuffling nervously.

"Hi Tommy." Bruce grinned, somewhat surprised when Tommy grinned back at him.

"Nate!" Tommy shouted suddenly.

"Huh?" The other boy toddled over. "What?"

Tommy gestured to Bruce, making complex motions with his hands as he babbled.

Bruce looked back at Sarah again, his eyebrow raised. She shrugged, "They have their own language. Maybe you can figure it out; they won't tell me their secrets."

"Are you really our Daddy?" Nate demanded, pulling on Bruce's shirt until he faced them again.

Bruce nodded, "Yes."

Tommy and Nate grinned, murmuring a soft, "'Kay." And then Bruce's arms were full of snuggling, giggling little boys. "Mommy said you would buy us toys." One of them whispered impishly.

Bruce chuckled. "Lots of toys." He agreed, pulling both boys tighter into his embrace. These were his sons, his boys.  
>xXxxXxxXx<p>

After a few hours spent together at the hospital and somewhat tearful goodbyes with their mother the two boys arrived at Wayne Manor.

"Tommy! Look!" Nathan squealed, grabbing his twin's hand and dragging him to see yet another statue or painting. Tommy 'Ooooed', looking back at Bruce with a big smile.

"They do resemble you very strongly Master Bruce."

Bruce looked back to see Alfred descend the stairs. He grinned, "You think so?" They certainly looked like him, tall for their age with thick black hair. They had their mother in them too though; their green eyes and bubbly laugh were proof of that.

"Daddy?" A small hand pulled at his pant leg.

"Yes Nate?" He leaned down, picking up the toddler. Nathan snuggled into his shoulder, wrapping small arms around his neck.

"I'm sleepy." A small yawn accompanied the words, making Bruce tighten his hold with a small smile. He rubbed the boys back comfortingly.

"Alright." He glanced over his shoulder. "Tommy! Let's go see your room!"

"My room!"

xXxxXxxXx

"Batman?"

His head shot up, eyes blinking sluggishly in the harsh light of the meeting room. Had he fallen asleep? That had never happened before, he was growing careless...

"Rough night?" Superman teased.

He grunted; Clark didn't know the half of it. Who knew that two four year olds had so much energy? Add that to his already hectic schedule of business meetings and nights of flying around Gotham and he was beat. And it had only been two months….it was no wonder he had fallen asleep.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Wonder Woman placed a comforting hand onto his shoulder; he shrugged it off.

"I'm fine."

"If you say so; so anyway..."

The rest of the meeting faded away as his mind drifted. The boy's first day of school was tomorrow. He had promised them McDonald's for breakfast. He mentally snickered as he remembered the look on Alfred's face when the boys stated that they preferred McDonalds over '_Grandpa's_ cooking.

"Batman?"

"What?" He snapped, glaring at Clark's innocent looking Boy Scout face.

"What do you think?"

"About Luthor or about Joker, Clark? You need to be more specific."

Superman glared, he had almost gotten him. One day he would finally bust Bruce for not paying attention in a meeting.

"Joker."

xXxxXxxXx

"Daddy?" A small hand pulled at his covers.

He sat up, opening bloodshot eyes to look blearily down at the small boy. "Nathan? What's wrong?"

"I-I wet my bed." Tears trickled down his son's cheeks as he stared at his socks.

"Oh… that's okay. Come on, we'll go get cleaned up." He rolled over, stretching before rising and taking his son in his arms. The wet patch on his pajamas confirmed what the small boy had told him. He grimaced, but tightened his hold on Nate, rubbing his back soothingly.

One laundry load and shower later, Nate was snuggled against his side, snoring softly.  
>xXxxXxxXx<p>

Nate and Tommy munched happily on their hash browns, licking their fingers.

Bruce nursed his coffee in the front seat, listening to his sons babble in their secret language with each other. "What are you two saying?"

Both boys looked up. "We're talking about school."

"How did you come up with that language?" Bruce looked back at them in the mirror, his eyebrow raised.

"I dunno." Nate shrugged, opening his milk and gulping it down.

"We could teach it to you. It's not that hard."

"Alright."

"Okay so school is tchool. You just make the first letter be the next one instead."

"I see. And you were how old when you came up with this?"

Both boys grinned, "Uhree."

xXxxXxxXx

"And they lived happily ever after, the end.

"It can't end like that!"

Bruce looked over at Nate, his brow furrowing. "What? Why not?"

Nate crossed his arms, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. "Mommy always made it end with 'and they lived happily ever after…until the giant dragon swallowed them.' So the dragon lives happily ever after, not the princess and prince Daddy."

Tommy rolled over in his sleep, snoring loudly.

Bruce chuckled, running his fingers gently through his son's raven hair. "Of course he does." He leaned down, giving the small boy a kiss on the forehead. He then walked over to Tommy's bed, adjusting the blankets to better cover him before planting a kiss on his forehead as well.

"Night Daddy, love you."

Bruce's chest tightened with emotion. "Love you too Nate."

_**The end for now! This will just be a series of one-shots surrounding Tommy and Nate and their interactions with Bruce and eventually the rest of the league. If you have any ideas feel free to let me know and I'll do my best!**_

_**Oh, and this is a crossover because of a certain character who comes later :D **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Warning: This is both OOC and somewhat of a crack!fic.**_

_**My cousin and I wrote this together on New Year's eve, it was a ton of fun. We were cracking up the entire time, and new inside jokes were made. **_

_**IMPORTANT: Tommy and Nate are about 6-7 years old here.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own Tommy and Nate. But anyone can use them if they ask :D **_

"Tommy! Tommy guess what I saw!"

Tommy looked up from the book he had been coloring, grinning at his twin brother. "What?"

Nate smirked, "I saw Dad walk into the clock!"

"No you didn't. That's impossible."

Nate crossed his arms, frowning. "I did too. I'll show you."

Tommy shrugged, rising from the floor. Nate led him into the room with the old grandpa clock, pointing up at it with a big grin.

"He went in there! Right through it!"

Tommy raised his eyebrow. Dad couldn't have walked through a clock, he didn't have superpowers.

Nate stood on his tippy toes, huffing when he couldn't reach the hands of the clock. "Tommy help me get a chair." Together they lifted the chair, placing it on the floor in front of the clock. Nate climbed up onto it, spinning the minute and hour hands until they both pointed straight up. "See? Dad made these point up like that and then it-"He gasped as the clock suddenly slid aside, revealing the tunnel behind it.

Tommy's eyes widened in disbelief. "You weren't lying…" He breathed.

Nate grinned. "Told you so."

xXxxXxxXx

Both boys wasted no time in moving the chair back and running down the tunnel stairs.

"Woooooah!" Tommy gasped. Bats hung from the ceiling, their wings rustling in the dark.

"I found a light switch!"

"Turn them on!"

The lights suddenly shone, making both boys cringe as they covered their eyes.

"Oh my gosh Nate, Dad is Batman…

"xXxxXxxXx

Batman sighed, sitting through meetings wouldn't have been so terrible if Clark didn't spend the last half-hour droning on about how he missed Lois, or that was how it sounded anyway. _'Lois this, I saved eighty people from a burning building that, oh and did I mention that my spit-curl stayed perfectly in place the entire time?'_

Suddenly the intercom blared, making the seven original member's heads turn.

"All Justice League members, two unidentified persons have boarded the watchtower, be advised they could be armed and dangerous..."

xXxxXxxXx

Both boys giggled, "Look! That's Green Lantern!"

"How do they not know we're here? Don't some of them have super-hearing or something?"

Tommy shrugged, "D'unno, maybe in crowded places they turn it off or something."

"They can't just turn off their powers."

"Can too."

"No they can't."

"Yes they can!"

"Can not!"

"CAN TOO!

Both boys glared at each other, turning away with a 'humph'.

"Hey GL! I found a couple of kids under the table, how about we whip up a nice kiddy stew?"

Both boys gasped, looking up to see Flash, with his usual smirk adorning his face.

"Hey kids! Whose sidekick are you?"

"Ummm…." They glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. "Batman's?"

Flash laughed. "Right, like Batman has sidekicks; that's a hoot. So you must work with Green Arrow right? You guys must have replaced Speedy? Never liked that kid, always stole my french fries."

"Yeah that's right! We're Green Arrow's new sidekicks; our names are….uhhh…"

Tommy spoke up, swinging one of his arms around his brother's shoulders. "We're Bow and Arrow."

Nate grinned, "Yeah! I'm Arrow."

Tommy's head turned sharply to glare at his twin. "No, I'm Arrow, you're Bow."

"No I'm not, you are."

"No! I get to be Arrow! I came up with the names!"

"That isn't fair! I want to be Arrow."

"Ummm….can't you both be Arrow?" Flash glanced behind him, noticing the entire cafeteria had turned to watch the two boys with interest, even Green Arrow.

Both boys turned to him and scowled; their argument with each other forgotten. "NO!"

"Ummm….hey Green Arrow, get your sidekicks under control!"

"They aren't mine, I still have Speedy. I've never even seen those kids before."

"Wha-but they said they were yours!"

An awkward silence filled the room…

xXxxXxxXx

Batman stalked forward, wondering if Superman really did spit in his hair to make that infernal little style of his.

Soon, the intercom blared again:

"_There has been an incident in the Cafeteria. All Justice League Members, please respond immediately."_

Batman, thinking a fight was to ensue, raced off to the cafeteria, just a half-corridor away. Throwing the doors to the cafeteria open, something hot and red struck his face and mask.

Reeling back in defense, Batman noticed that the apparent missile was just a lowly meatball.

He twisted around and saw that the entire room was in a free-for-all. Mustard and ketchup, hamburger meat and orange juice; all being tossed about in what appeared to be a food-fight.

Developing a plan, he grabbed a trash can lid from one of the receptacles; dodging two corn dogs and a pickle at the same time. Using the lid as a shield, Batman made his way over to the other side of the room, where the fully stocked food carts were.

Making it over to the Asian Cart, he found John, covered in special sauce and taco meat.

"It's not looking too good, Bruce! We're flanked by the Italian and Mexican carts, with the American Stand coming up the middle!"

Bruce stole a brief glance at their ammo: egg-rolls, chow mein, spicy duck sauce and orange chicken. He then began to station the men at their posts.

"John, you and Oliver defend from Wally and Clark in the America Cart! Diana, you and I will launch a counter-attack on the Italian Cart! You take the egg-rolls! Oliver! Counteract their ketchup with the duck Sauce! Dinah you can take the Mexican Cart!

Dinah objected, "Alone?"

"Yes alone! You can have the chicken! GO!"

The battle continued as Batman and his comrades fought valiantly against the imposing doom of spaghetti and microwavable burritos. As his team fought off the encroaching Food Arsenals the outlook became brighter and less filthy for them. Although that was not true for the other carts. Flash ran out of burgers and hot dogs quite early in the battle since it was the most popular cart in the cafeteria. The Italian cart fell to their imminent demise soon after. The Mexican Cart was their real threat for the duration of the skirmish.

However, the effective use of the egg-rolls and chow-mein had the best duration, and Batman along with his team won the day.

xXxxXxxXx

As the other Carts succumbed to defeat, the fight was over. Batman stood proudly over his makeshift chow-mein catapult and trusty trash can shield, smirking at the carnage he had created.

Flash, covered from head to toe in alfredo and soy sauce was the first to speak: "Man, Bruce, you sure can militarize anything, can't you?"

Batman replied with a grunt, not having anything particularly witty to say in response.

"Does anyone know where those two kids went?" Oliver asked suddenly, digging a piece of macaroni out of his ear.

"Kids?"

"Yeah, they were here just a second ago, I swear! About yea' high with spiky black hair." Flash held his hand up around his middle.

"And nobody thought to question who they were?"Batman grumbled.

"Well yeah we did; they said they were your sidekicks at first, which we knew wasn't true."

"_My_ sidekicks?"

"Yeah, but then they agreed that they were Green Arrow's-"

"-Which isn't true!" Green Arrow announced, flicking the piece of macaroni into Clark's spit-curl with a (manly) giggle.

"Yeah we know that now…..and then everything got all awkward so I decided to start a food-fight….It always works in the movies." Flash grinned, holding up both his hands in the universal sign of surrender when Batman suddenly lunged forward.

"Where are they now?"

"That's actually a great question; I'll get right on that." Flash sped away, kicking up piles of orange chicken in his wake.

xXxxXxxXx

(Going back in time a bit)

Food flew everywhere, splattering the walls and floors in a brilliant show of color and texture. Tommy poked his head over the American Cart, grinning when he saw Green Arrow making his way toward their cart. He grabbed a handful of hamburger meat, preparing to throw it when suddenly a pizza slice slapped him in the back of his head, just about the same time a seeping wetness began to gather around his middle. He glanced down, blanching in horror as red soaked through his shirt, sticking to his skin. He turned to his brother, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to turn.

"I've been hit!"

Nate gasped in terror. "Tommy, no!" He put his hand over the wound, just as his Father had taught him. "Don't worry, I'll find a first-aid kit!"

Tommy gave his brother a soft smile. "Go on without me, I'll be okay."

"No Tommy, Arnold Sch-shwa-shur…The Terminator says no child left behind!" He grabbed his twin by the hands, dragging him away from the fight into an unoccupied closet. "Stay awake Tommy, I'm going to go find a first-aid kit."

Tommy groaned from his place on the floor, holding his hand against his wound. "I'll try."

Nate rushed out the door, dodging missiles of chow-mein while at the same time scouring the room for the small white box with the Red Cross. Tears began to make their way down his cheeks as he was splattered with spaghetti sauce and noodles, unable to find the kit which held Tommy's life in its hands.

Finally, the small box was found underneath a pile of tamales. He grabbed it, running back as fast as he could to his brother.

"Tommy I found it!" He ran to Tommy's side, waiting for a response while opening the kit and placing the gauze and bandages on the floor beside him. "Tommy?" He shook his twin's limp shoulder. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…." He picked up the gauze, quickly wrapping it around his waist.

"Tommy? Tommy you gotta' wake up…"

xXxxXxxXx

After Flash's apparent desertion, Batman himself went looking for the two mysterious children. Checking out in the hall, the break room, freezer, and bathrooms, he came to the last place they could be; the supply closet.

Upon opening the door, there was a small pause before a small projectile launched itself into his stomach.

"Daddy! Tommy's dead!" Nate suddenly screamed, wrapping his arms around his costumed father.

"What?" Bruce, rushed to Tommy's side without a second thought, pushing Nate into Clark's awkward (and very surprised) embrace.

Immediately kicking into survival mode, Bruce began to do a quick assessment of his son.

"He got hit in the stomach and he was bleeding really badly! I tried to stop it but…." Nate blubbered through his tears.

Within moments the entire Justice League was gathered around the closet behind Clark, a few running to get the Advanced Medical Team.

Batman, remembering his CPR training began helping his son. He knelt down and lifted his son head to clear his throat and to hear his son's breath. Lightly, he felt a tickle on his ear.

"He's breathing!" yelled Bruce.

He moved down to check the wound. Placing his hand on the soaked bandage, he paused. Suddenly he groaned, placing his face in his hands in utter embarrassment.

"Is he alright?" Diana asked.

"Nathan…"

"Dad?"

"This is ketchup."

xXxxXxxXx

After waking up Tommy from his junk-food-induced deep slumber, he was taken up to the Medical bay for observation.

"Geeze, you had me worried sick!" Nate said as he gave his brother a glare of such epic proportions, all other gestures trembled in its wake. (Well except for his Dad's, but he was learning!)

"Well, when you left I got really bored. So the only thing that would make sense to do in that dark closet was to sleep! That turkey sandwich for lunch didn't help either!"

"Stupid Tracta… trepht… what's it called again, Dad?" Tommy asked with a puzzled look.

"Tryptophan." Bruce corrected his boy, just glad that he wasn't actually hurt. He paused, glancing down at his sons with a mixture of guilt and anger.

"How did you find out about this?" He gestured to his costume and cowl.

"I saw you go into the clock, and I showed Nathan…"Tommy whispered, his eyes darting throughout the room nervously, refusing to meet his father's.

"And then we started exploring the cave, and we found out that you're Batman…" Nathan continued, grabbing his brother's hand and giving it a small squeeze of support.

"And then we found the button on the computer that made us come up here. We didn't mean to, honest!" Tommy looked up, his green eyes wide with unshed tears and _filled_ with innocence.

Bruce sighed, pulling both his sons into a rough hug. "You don't have to feel guilty, it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you this long."

Both boys snuggled deeper into his embrace. "So does this mean we can be heroes too Dad?"

_**Hope you enjoyed it, even if it was OOC. Have a wonderful day/night!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Yay next chapter! The boys are nine here, so it's been about three years since the food-fight incident in the Watchtower. **_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Bruce sighed, rubbing his temples. A headache was pounding behind his eyes. "This isn't a game Tommy." He looked down at the small boy, carding his hand through the thick raven hair which was so much like his own.

"I know it's not!" Tommy shouted, roughly pulling away from his father's gentle hand to stand beside his twin. Nate glanced at him, shrugging his shoulders nervously. He had never been one to fight or argue, especially not with his father. "We want to help you!"

"I don't need help." Bruce gasped as a sudden hand ghosted over the gunshot wound on his shoulder, the pain nearly unbearable.

"This says you do." Nate spoke up gently, his green eyes gazing into his father's, even as his teeth bit down on his bottom lip nervously.

Bruce was silent for a moment, sighing, he massaged his temples once more. "Boys, I've had training. This isn't just-"

"Then train us." Tommy glared up at him. "We can handle it."

Bruce held back his own glare, breathing deeply, calmly. "Training won't be easy, it will take years." He didn't want to have to train them. Boys their age shouldn't be worrying about dodging bullets or knowing how to use grapple guns. He didn't want them to get hurt…

"Then we had better get started."

xXxxXxxXx

He started with the basics, teaching them specific stances and how to punch and kick properly. Both boys hung onto his every word, practicing with diligence until Bruce forced them to stop, worried their bodies would collapse under the strain.

The boys were taught to run faster, jump higher. Back flips were practiced with ease within months. They practiced dodging bullets by using paint ball guns; every bruise was a painful push to get better. They memorized each and every piece of equipment and its function, including where in their utility belts it would be located. They were taught the anatomy of the human body, committing to memory every small nerve cluster that would help bring down future opponents.

They trained as hard as Bruce had, giving their all to every task.

xXxxXxxXx

It was three years before he let the boys' even start considering names.

"They're just going to call us Batboy anyway." Tommy laughed, stretching his legs out in front of him on the floor, his right arm draped over his twin.

"True." Nate muttered. "But we should still have our own names, something we can call ourselves, even if the newspapers won't know about them."

Tommy nodded absentmindedly, picking at a stray piece of lint on his sweatpants. "I know, I'm just pointing it out."

Bruce walked into the room, carrying much needed water bottles. Nate jumped up off of the Batcave's gym floor where he had been resting, snatching two bottles out of Bruce's hands. He sat back down, passing one to Tommy before opening and gulping down his own. Bruce watched with hidden amusement as both boys finally gasped for breath, over half their bottles gone.

"Training too tough for you two today?" He teased, lowering himself to the floor to sit beside his nine year old sons. Nate curled into him, resting his head on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce began to run his fingers through his son's sweaty hair, waiting for Tommy's reply.

"No way Dad. You still have to show us how to do the quadruple somersault." Tommy grinned, leaning onto Nate.

"Well…I wasn't very honest with you two." He hesitated, meeting Tommy's glare. "I can't do the quadruple somersault."

"Wha-?" Nate began, quieting as Bruce raised his eyebrow.

"But, I do know of three people who can. They're actually the only people in the world are able to do it. I thought we might observe them tonight."

The boys looked doubtful, but still excited. "Sure, okay. But who are they?"

"They call themselves _The Flying Grayson's_. They're trapeze artists for Haley's Circus."

"We get to go to Haley's Circus?" Both boys shouted in unison, pulling away to look at Bruce with wide, excited grins.

Bruce chuckled, bringing both boys into a hug. "Sure do." He looked down at his watch, it was nearly four o'clock. The circus opened at six, they had better hurry. "Go on upstairs and shower. Alfred has clothes laid out for you on your bed. We leave in an hour."

Both boys squealed with delight, running from the gym.

_**A/N: Short, I know but I wanted the next chapter to be longer, and I really wanted to get this up while I can. Hopefully you liked it!**_

_**Oh, and I need names for the Tommy and Nate while they're in costume. I wanted them to be bat-related but all I got is birds, which I don't mind but I didn't really want to copy Robin. So if you have any ideas feel free to let me know!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: The next chapter! Woo! And who you've all been waiting for! Little Dickey Grayson!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own notin' but my Batman Arkham City poster.**_

He watched with interest as the boys stood at the foot of their beds, towels draped around their waists and their mouths open wide.

"D-Dad?"

He stepped forward, allowing himself a rare grin. "Yes Nathan?" He teased, mentally snickering.

"Wha-…oh my god." Tommy ghosted his hand over the fabric, running his fingers up to the cowl to grip the two little points. "They're like your's…"

"Well you two are my _Batboys_ aren't you?"

Tommy and Nate looked up, their faces bright with excitement and awe. Both of their new costumes had been laid out on their beds, as a surprise from both himself and Alfred. "We get to start tonight?" Tommy squeaked.

Bruce nodded once, unsurprised when both boys ran toward him, their arms wrapping around his waist in a crushing hug. "I trust you've come up with names for yourselves." He murmured, his arms tightening around them.

"My name is Shadow, I came up with it yesterday…" Tommy giggled happily, burrowing into his father's side.

"Knight." Nate pulled away a bit, giving Bruce a smirk. "After you of course."

"Ah, of course. And together you'd be Knight Shadow." Bruce chuckled. "Very clever." He squeezed the boys, _his_ boys one last time…this was it.

xXxxXxxXx

"Commissioner."

Jim Gordon turned, the only thing betraying his surprise the slight widening of his eyes. "Batman." He switched off the flood-light, masking the rooftop in shadows.

"What have you got for me?" Batman cut to the chase, his eyes glancing over to where Tommy and Nate…no…where Knight and Shadow hid. He couldn't afford to think of them as Tommy and Nate while they were in costume, it was too risky.

He watched the boys out of the corner of his eye, noting that they were alert and focused, no doubt reading his and Gordon's lips. He hadn't wanted to risk Gordon finding out about them yet, but he hadn't been able to bear having them out of his sight yet either. They were too new, and Gotham much too dangerous.

Gordon blinked, but continued as if nothing had happened. "Zucco's been stirring up trouble lately, thought you might want to look into it."

Batman grunted, taking the file Gordon had pulled out of his coat and scanning the pages. "I'll look out for him." He handed the file back before drifting back into the shadows toward his sons, readying his grapple and swinging away, Shadow and Knight not far behind him.

xXxxXxxXx

"This is so cool!" Shadow whispered in excitement, watching through his binoculars as the elephants began to rise onto their hind legs, crashing back to the floor after a few moments. Knight watched behind him, his binoculars scanning the surrounding area of their stake-out point, just across from the open circus tent. The two had been taking turns looking out for anything unusual, while at the same time eagerly awaiting the Flying Grayson's show.

Batman hushed him softly, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of Zucco or his brothers. They had been rumored to have been hanging around the circus, no doubt offering it their "protection".

"Batman! The Flying Grayson's!"

Knight instantly focused back on the tent, his grin betraying his excitement. "When do they do the quadruple somersault?"

Batman stepped forward a bit, taking a second to glance at the couple who had mastered the trapeze with such ease. Their son, Richard Grayson, was rumored to be a prodigy. He glanced at his own sons, Richard was about their age. He would have to see if he could get the boys together while he talked to the Circus Manager, Mr. Haley. With his sons being the way they were, they would get Richard to teach them the quadruple somersault up close with a little bit of their 'sweet-talking'.

"_**Dad!"**_

His head turned, his eyes widening as both of his sons screamed. He looked up just in time to see them fall.

xXxxXxxXx

The rain came down in heavy torrents, making the asphalt shine. Jim Gordon exited the squad car, his heart heavy and broken in his chest. The small boy was standing off to the side; arms wrapped around two small black shapes, Batman standing behind him with a grim frown. He walked closer, reminded of another night twenty-five years ago when another small boy had lost his parents to this cesspool of a city.

As he got closer, the small black masses took shape. _Are those-are those children? _He thought with alarm, his eyes glaring into the slits of Batman's cowl. The hero's head turned away from him, looking down at the three small boys in front of him.

"It's okay Dickey, it'll be okay." One of the boys whispered gently, rocking Richard in his arms. The slightly smaller boy, still dressed in his circus uniform clung to him tightly, harsh sobs escaping him as tears ran down his cheeks.

The second of the Batboys stood up, looking at Batman. "Dad…" He whispered, stepping forward to throw his arms around Batman, his shoulders shaking.

Batman looked up briefly at Gordon, his eyes narrowing dangerously in warning at his partner. Then he turned back to his son, wrapping his cape around the crying boy.

"I trust you can handle it from here."

Gordon nodded, trembling under his uniform. Batman grasped the other boy by the shoulder, bending down to whisper something in his ear. The smaller version of Batman nodded, pulling away from Richard to gently lead him to the Commissioner.

"Take care of him." The small Batboy ordered, a smaller version of his father's glare making him look nearly as frightening.

"Of course." He glanced down at Richard Grayson, seeing him tremble and shake as he wiped snot from his face with a small red sleeve. He placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Shadow, Knight."

The two Batboys looked up at their Father, nodding once before all three disappeared into the shadows, making Gordon wonder briefly if they had existed at all.

_**A/N: Sorry this one is short too, but I couldn't think of where else I wanted to cut it off. Hope you enjoyed it though. The next chapter is planned already so should be up within a week or less.**_

_**OH! Tommy's and Nate's superhero names were the ideas of CHiKa-RoXy! Thank you so much, they're great!**_


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